Jesus killed by thieves?
If Jesus were killed by a gang of thieves on his way out of Jerusalem instead of by the Roman government, would his death still be a sacrifice for mankind?
Would people today be asking, "Don’t you realize that Jesus gave His life by getting robbed and killed by a gang for you?"
How about if He died of pneumonia?
Would people still be arguing that He died for us?
If so, doesn’t that seem weird?
Either a symbolism would’ve been worked out for it (the thievery REPRESENTED etc etc) or the story would’ve simply been rewritten for a stronger symbolic type death or… Maybe if that was the narrative, the religion would’ve never picked up because the story of Jesus would never had had the relevance to become popular. Assuming that the religion could’ve still attained such successwithout such a strong symbolic narrative structure around h/His death is kind of strange. It’s not like these things are “fated”. These are just things moving through history like logs on a river. Rough waters, the log is obliterated. If Sadaam Hussein had been a nice guy who ran a car wash, nobody would be saying “What if obscure car wash guy had been a terrible dictator?” Nah, he’s be some guy no one ever heard of who owns a car wash. Probably a different Judiac Messianic sect would’ve filled that vacuum?
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For all we know, he died of old age. How can we really know how someone 2000+ years ago really died? Through documents? Everything that far back can be questioned… later,
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Yes. I would say so. Because he still got what he didn’t deserve and so because of that he sacrificed his life. He knew He didn’t deserve to die.. at all, whether it was in his sleep, or put on the cross.. He hadn’t sinned.. and so death of any kind would have been an injustice. But I do think it makes for a better faith base for him to have died on the cross.
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He would have freely given his life, so yes at first. However, it was not enough to die He had to be punished for our sins, ‘beaten for our inquinities’ I believe is the line. That is why there was the scourging at the pillar, crowning or thorns, carring of the cross etc. There are historical documentations that prove the historical Jesus who was crucified by the request of the Jewish leaders.
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Even so much as the freeing of Barabbas is documented. And yes we can take stock in these documents because the Romans is nothing were meticilious in there documentation. If we really want to split hairs I can doubt the existence beyond anything outside of my mind… but that is stupid and a waste of time. Romans documented everything very well, for their time.
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